http://www.rocknworld:.
Willie Nelson got into a bit of trouble not too long ago. Officers who
pulled over his tour bus ran across a couple of bags of unsavory
substances. For anyone even remotely familiar with Willie Nelson this
was no surprise.

The music legend treated the incident with the same humor and attitude
he has treated everything else in his life. Willie got back on the bus
and went back to roaming the country like the long-haired,
guitar-strumming, immortal gypsy that he is.

As a country artist, Willie Nelson has a reserved space in the hall of
heroes. Beyond country music, Willie Nelson is an incredible fixture of
Americana. His style and voice are unmatched in popular music. His
activism is inspiring, and at the age of 73 he has done just about
everything there is to be done in music.

With Songbird, Nelson made a few changes. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
provide backup and Adams stepped into the producer's chair. The
alt-country Adams owes his livelihood to Willie Nelson, so he works
extra hard to give Nelson something memorable to work with.

The Cardinals give Nelson more of an electric sound, but never fail to
stretch out into many moods and genres. They groove on the upbeat
rock/country tracks and step back into a beautiful melancholy on the
slow songs.

Adams brought a range of songs for Nelson to sing. Willie has been
interpreting songs his whole life and his effortless performance is
picture perfect on this album. Willie Nelson could sing your grocery
list and it would be fantastic.

A good batch of songs only makes the record better. Three of Nelson's
classic recordings come back with an immediate, bluesy production.
Nelson claims this is the Ryan Adams project but the album is anchored
around several of Nelson's memorable compositions, including "Rainy Day
Blues", "We Don't Run", "Sad Songs and Waltzes" and a brand new Nelson
original, the haunting, harmonica inflected "Back to Earth".

Adams contributes one of his own originals, the gospel-flavored "Blue
Hotel". The highly underrated Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac
contributes the gorgeous "Songbird" and Willie nails it out of the
park. Each track is incredible and far ranging, from the Grateful
Dead's "Stella Blue", Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", Gram Parson's
"$1000 Wedding" and Harlan Howard's "Yours Love". Each song becomes
Willie's own.

Nelson and Adams drag out the most overdone spiritual ever, "Amazing
Grace" and give it a completely fresh arrangement. It is perfect as the
closer on quite a remarkable album.

Not much else can be said. Willie Nelson is and has always been
marvelous and Adams and the Cardinals give him a sound that is both
familiar and fresh.

http://www.burnandshiver.com/
Participating artists for The Voices and Faces Project Vol. 1 include:
Neko Case, Jesse Sykes, Joseph Arthur, Motion City Soundtrack,
Fielding, Garrison Starr, Neilson Hubbard, Kelly Hogan, Nora 'O Connor,
Michelle Anthony, Bird York, The Strays, plus more to come. The CD will
be released early this summer and will be put together by Barry
Goldberg, whose work in the studio runs the gamut, from Smashing
Pumpkins to Fleetwood Mac.

Please visit the website when you have a chance and check out what Anne
Ream (founder/rape survivor) and hundreds of other survivors are
accomplishing in the battle against sexual violence.

http://www.redeyeusa.com:
Engineered by Craig Schumacher (Calexico,Friends of Dean Martinez, Howe
Gelb, NekoCase, etc)The most heartfelt and intense Americanmusic comes
from a tradition of national sor-row. The longing for home embodied in
the lowmoan of the blues. The traditional musicians ofAppalachia
playing the music of the old worldin the new and promised land. The
eventualunion of the two in early rock and roll, thesmokey stomp of the
juke joint blues and thehigh wail of back woods country. An
unbrokenlineage built upon our national guilt and sorrow. A tradition
that is evident in the music ofShortstack.They write murder ballads,
they write stories of redemption and songs of persecution withhaunting
biblical overtones. They use the native instrumentation of American
music: drums,guitar, lap-steel and upright bass. They draw upon musical
traditions of this country from theearliest of country and blues
through the birth of rockabilly to the rock and roll of contempo-rary
revivalists. They are not, however, aping musical genres. Somehow
they’ve happenedupon a means of expression that draws upon all
the unique musical heritage of America. Ofcourse, when it comes down to
it, Shortstack is simply four young men who play their ownmusic
honestly and well. Perhaps what makes it all so authentic is their lack
of stylistic striv-ing. They seem to have chanced upon this vein of
painful truth. Without realizing it they satdown to practice and played
the only music they could.These songs came to fruition during a demo
session held at a farm outside of Slainsville, WestVirginia. The band
had previously rented the property for writing and brainstorming
sessions,finding that the solitude and close quarters created a fertile
ground for songwriting. Theyplayed relentlessly by day, and listened to
the cicadas at night. Months later, the band tookanother journey
— this time to the desert to bring the completed album to life.
The final ses-sions took place at Wavelab Studios in Tuscon, Arizona.
Wavelab was chosen because of engi-neer Craig Schumacher’s work
with Calexico, Friends of Dean Martinez, Howe Gelb, and NekoCase. After
eight days, Shortstack boarded a plane for home with a finished album
in theirhands.• Recorded by Graig Schumacher (Calexico, Friends of
Dean Martinez, Howe Gelb, andNeko Case) at Wavelab in Tuscon,
Arizona.• First release on the new GYPSY EYES RECORDS (home of
Revival, Brandon Butler, andother bands that will sell lots of
records).• Full press and radio serviced by Advanced Alternative
Media (AAM).• Available for instore appearances.• Previous
release (“S/T”) on Planaria Recordings received positive
reviews including afeature on National Public Radio (NPR).•
Massive plans for touring all year. Have headlined at the prestigious
9:30 Club• Good looking chaps that can all ride bikes!

villagerecords.com
David Olney has always been one of Nashville''s most respected
singer-songwriters, a man revered by the likes of Guy Clark, Townes Van
Zandt, Rodney Crowell and Steve Earle. Since Emmylou Harris and Linda
Ronstadt started including his material in their repertoire, he is
widely recognized as one of America's most important tunesmiths.
Olney's amazing originality as a writer is only equalled by his
stunning powers as a performer, and LENORA his fourth and best
live-album to date is quite simply, a major event. Recorded over the
last two years in several intimate venues in Holland, the new CD
captures this most versatile of artists at the height of his abilities.
During the 2004 tour, Olney's was back up by Thomm Jutz, and during the
2005 tour by Mark Sergio Webb, two of today's finest acoustic, and
electric lead guitar player in the scene.
1.Speak Memory 2. Birds 3. My Lovely Assistant 4. I
Washed My Hands in Muddy Water 5. The Song 6. No One Knows
What Love Is 7. Two Kinds of Love 8. Jerusalem
Tomorrow 9. Lenora 10. Chained and Bound to the
Wheel 11. Vincent's Blues 12. Upside Down / Gonna Wait
Here For the Cops 13. Revolution

http://store.milesofmusic.com:
Urgency and insurgency are at the root of The Lonesomes` "Quick Fixes
& Power Trips," the Portland quartet`s rocking follow-up to their
breezier 2004 debut "Circling The Sun." Bolstered by the addition of
lead guitarist Mark Dybvig (Thrillbilly), The Lonesomes have delivered
12 varied takes on 70s rock that are both sweet and searing. Literate
and character-driven in a way similar to early Springsteen, the tunes
put a modern spin on timeless themes of war, God and love, at times
echoing the disappointment of an American public that feels duped. The
overall sound, though, is much more early Jayhawks and Velvet Crush.
Produced by 44 Long`s Brian Berg (John Doe, Robert Pollard), who lends
keyboards and occasional backing vocals, "Quick Fixes & Power
Trips" is an edgy romp in the vein of Drive-By Truckers and Son Volt,
where intimate story-telling meets heavy guitar licks, fish-hook bass
lines and machine-gun drum rolls. (self-released)

http://www.netrhythms.co.uk:
The very latest album from the exuberant Pete and Maura, everybody's
favourite jangle merchants, sees them forsaking self-penned material
for the first of possibly a projected series of albums of covers. Here
they present transcendent new versions of what they term their
“favourite travelling music” (hence the album's title,
which also takes its cue from a key Walt Whitman poem), songs written
by others that they really appreciate, some of which often form the
backbone of their ongoing satellite radio show. The vast majority of
them are the classic products of West Coast-based writers whom the
Kennedys are proud to honour with their re-creations. Not all are
especially well-known, perhaps, but you can hear why Pete and Maura
rate them so highly. Their covers are faithful and affectionate
reassemblages; to be fair, they're not attempting to offer any radical
new slant or interpretative departure, and taken on those terms they're
perfectly satisfying, for the Kennedys' feel for the songs is tangible,
communicated as much by the entirely appropriate musical arrangements
as by their expressive and forthright vocalising. Eight Miles High is
given a very typical approach, with glittering psychedelia
incorporating electric sitar and multiple twelve-strings, while Pretty
Girl Why (the Stills/Buffalo Springfield number) settles easily into a
soothing bossanova groove. The Byrds/Burrito connection is cemented
with covers of Sin City and Gene Clark's achingly tender, elegant Gypsy
Rider (there's that mournful electric sitar again!). Jimmy Webb's
Galveston is elevated from the somewhat middle-of-the-road twang of
Glen Campbell's hit version into a thoughtfully oblique commentary
worth paying more attention. And one of my personal favourites here is
the yearning jingle-jangle folk-pop treatment of Dave Carter's
seriously beautiful Gypsy Rose, one of two of Dave's songs that the duo
tackle for this project. This Moment (the Victoria Williams song, not
the Mike Heron classic) opens proceedings in deceptively tranquil mode
but provides an ideal foil for the tracks that follow. Some more
contemporary West-Coast writing is represented by Nanci Griffith's Late
Night Grande Hotel (the album's finale), and John Stewart's wistful
Jasmine (written only last year). One or two of the choices might
surprise if you don't know the Kennedys' live work, but Nick Lowe's
Raging Eyes proves ideally suited to the duo's gutsy twang'n'roll (and
some might say that Maura does a fetching Debbie Harry too!), and Bob
Neuwirth's enigmatic Eye On The Road receives a treatment wholly worthy
of its cautionary aspect. The only track that doesn't work for me is
the Mahalia Jackson cover, which in its attempt to emulate Mahalia's
monumental reading fails by trying to ascend to heaven through a
never-ending series of progressive modulations that become rather
tiresome. But the rest is pure gold – so get out there onto that
open road and crank this disc up high, it'll prove your ideal
travellin' companion too.
David Kidman, November 2006

http://store.milesofmusic.com:
Gob Iron (British slang for a harmonica) is a brand new side project
for Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo founder Jay Farrar. Teaming up with his
friend (and Varnaline front man) Anders Parker, Farrar has recorded an
album of new takes on American folk standards. Also known as the folk
process, these are old songs by the likes of Stephen Foster and The
Reverend JM Gates which have been given new lyrics or new arrangements
in an effort to re-interpret the songs in a fresh way. Recorded over
the course of just two days, Death Songs For The Living represents two
craftsmen stepping out and taking a chance on some of the music that
they hold most dear. Also included is the brand new Farrar original
Buzz & Grind. (Sony/Legacy)

http://observer.guardian.co.uk:
If you have never heard the group before and want to test the water,
try 'A Thousand Tiny Pieces', a beguiling evocation of making love,
written by Sean Hayes. Accompanied only by her sparse acoustic guitar,
Parton sings in a gentle, quavering voice, supported by spine-tingling
harmonies from Ford and Klein on the chorus. And what a chorus it is:
'Now my ebb and my flow, my lack of controI. l, turn it on, turn it
off, say yes, say no.' If the song's title wasn't printed on the
jacket, would we ever figure it out? But having started the song with
murky incomprehensibility, Frazey gradually reveals its secrets as her
words become clearer.

Now go back to the start, to find Frazey Ford launching the album with
her trademark indecipherable mumble on 'Human Thing'. For those of us
who have fallen under the spell of the Be Good Tanyas, this is what we
need to feed our fix.

Sad to report, the album tails off in the second half, where the three
revivals of old songs have rightly been shunted. They might sound OK as
part of a live set, but aren't as strong as their equivalents on the
first two albums. But there's a sting in the tail. Leave the album
running, and the hidden track is Frazey's delicious version of Prince's
'When Doves Cry' that sounds as if it was written to be played as
delivered here, on acoustic guitar, banjo, standup bass and brushed
snare.

All in all, a typical first album from the Be Good Tanyas; their third.

McKanzie’s
style follows the Appalchian old-time but differs from it in the wider variety
of lyrics…We listen to beautiful solistic adds by violin and cello. (The songs)
are catchy, even more: they’re captivating…the lyrics fit perfectly into the
music.NewFolkSounds (NL) 108 Dez/Jan 06

This CD is
set somewhere between Folk and Alternative Country. McKanzie’s very expressive
voice is backed up by her solidly played guitar…her lyrics … tell of much
experience and good powers of observation. This is music aside of mainstream
for those who want to listen to a musician who’s got something to say…(an)
interesting young artist.Music-Eagle Okt/Dez 06

http://www.houstonpress.com:
Austin's Band of Heathens call themselves a "loosely knit collective,"
but there isn't anything loose about their music. This is well-crafted
Americana, built on strong melodies and superior musicianship. It don't
hurt that four of the six band members are talented
singer-songwriter-guitarists (Brian Keane, Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi and
Gordy Quist) or that drummer Eldridge Goins is also a sought-after
producer. (Bassist Seth Whitney rounds out the rhythm section.) The
group says its influences run from Lyle Lovett to Prince. Okay, that
might be stretching it, but it's clear that there are some folk,
country, rock and swing overtones to their music, with just the tiniest
hint of Southern gospel at the edges.
(Houston Press)

http://www.rollingstone.com:
Ten years ago, Columbia began elegantly refurbishing the Byrds' back
catalog, reissuing the records with essential B sides and outtakes
(and, in the case of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, releasing the Parsons
vocals that got wiped from the original disc for legal reasons). Now
the label has finally upgraded the band's 1990 box set with this
four-CD, ninety-nine-track release. There Is a Season draws mostly on
the Nineties CDs but also includes five previously unreleased live
tracks. There is, in addition, a fifth disc, a twenty-six-minute DVD --
and it's dated in a way that the Byrds' music isn't. In ten vintage
clips, you can groove to artifacts of the era: Roger McGuinn's granny
glasses, lots of shimmying go-go dancers and, most improbably, a young,
skinny David Crosby.

http://store.milesofmusic.com:
Riviera`s 2006 release Capital expands their sonic pallet beyond their
alt.country/Americana past by taking a page out of the controlled
lysergic moments of Crazy Horse. Songwriters Derek Phillips, Josh
Boisvert, and Mick Radichel use this musical tension -- guitars veering
towards the edges of feedback before pulling back - as a backdrop for
their songs of broken dreams and missed opportunities. Their vocals
draw stylistically from fellow mid-westerner Jeff Tweedy. Overall, this
album oozes mood and resignation without accepting defeat. -- Jeff
Weiss, Miles of Music (Glorious Noise)

No Depression Sept/Oct 2006:
"The back story for this enchanting debut is all about words, about how
singer and principal songwriter Mark Ray Lewis was a Stegner Fellow at
Stanford and how he won an O. Henry and a Pushcart for his fiction. The
images in his songs, from kingfishers and caves to ploughshares and
holy ghosts, are plenty evocative, and loaded with spiritual and
existential freight. Yet ultimately it's the music that lingers-- a
parched, creaky take on rustic verities done up in pump organ, pedal
steel, tuba, cello, banjo, and piano. It's a burbling, oompahing wheeze
that seems to be groaning, even the gauzy he-she harmonies, with the
rest of creation. Pregnant, too, are lines such as, "Floss my soul
Esparanza" and "We are math/We are math/ We are a length of cold
water," words that portend volumes but beguile as music." --Bill
Friskics-Warren

http://www.indieville.com/reviews/hailthesize.htmThis comedy music duo ofCharles Ezell and
Matt North (apparently the William Morris Agent on Curb Your
Enthusiasm) plays unspectacular pop songs of varying levels of
country influence. The charm, however, lies in the lyrics - which are
the work of Ezell, a former writer for The Roseanne Barr Show.
"Booze, Pills, & Her" is an Americana-tinged song about drinking,
drugs, and domestic violence. "Mean Means I Love You" continues the
domestic violence tradition with a country mood, meanwhile "I Can't
Hold It In" adds a bossa nova beat to a giggly love song. Slow ballad
"The 7/11 Song" is a bit of a toss-off, though "The Ass Kicking Song"
has a considerable amount of charm behind it...

The LA Weekly writes: "Lead singer Ezell is a cross between a young John Belushi and John Prine. Maria McKee digs 'em too."

http://store.milesofmusic.com:
Marah`s undeniable and legendary live show, often cited by critics as
the best now available for human consumption, has finally been captured
on both film and tape with their live DVD/CD, Sooner or Later in Spain!
Their first ever live release, Sooner or Later in Spain, includes a
live DVD with 26 blistering tracks (from a 2005 concert in Spain),
containing rare material such as fan favorite Reservation Girl. DVD
bonus material includes an appearance and reading by bestselling author
Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy), who once said of Marah (in
the NY Times), "I can hear everything I ever loved about rock music in
their recordings and live shows." See for yourself what he`s talking
about. The accompanying CD features seven live tracks culled from an
assortment of other brilliant Marah shows, including material from
their critically lauded albums 20,000 Streets Under the Sky, Let`s Cut
the Crap..., Kids in Philly, and 2005`s If You Didn`t Laugh, You`d Cry.
It`s like the show without the hangover! (Yep Roc)

http://store.milesofmusic.com:
"He appropriates the title from Leo Tolstoy, but with War and Peace,
Butch Hancock crafts his most Dylanesque work to date. It updates the
political Dylan of Masters of War and With God on Our Side and does so
with a West Texas twang...tunes that plea for sanity, rage at needless
war, condemn the guilty, and pray for brotherhood among citizens of the
world. It`s all accomplished with typically wry and expansive wordplay,
in a multitude of stylized country/folk settings that feature Hancock
as a virtual one-man band, except for Rob Gjersoe on electric guitar
and harmonies from fellow Flatlanders Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore"
Jim Caligiuri, austinchronicle.com (Two Roads Records)

http://store.milesofmusic.com:
"This record has a ragged sloppy pop charm, like its come from a
session in the Westerberg basement, for which Ryan Adams and Tommy
Keene showed up and everyone got laughing drunk. Saturday Night
Christmas Lights is one of those songs thats so instant you swear it
must be a cover, it isnt, but it is a song youll be humming hours after
its stopped playing. Similar things occur with I Cant Tell You Why,
which is part Buddy Holly, part Springsteen. Shouldve been in Love is
like a twangy update of powerpop maestro Dwight Twilley, and lyrics
like There were big stars in the evening, we were sitting on the hood
of my car, call to mind the great Here She Come. The neat trick of this
record is to somehow make its dishevelled naivety appeal to the
listener as a major plus, and it most definitely pulls it off." --
Patrick Wilkins, americana-uk.com (Travis Hopper)

popmatters.com
In a year where the combination of pop, rock, country, and airy female
vocals seems to have become the hot new trend, Angela Desveaux’s
new album falls right in line. It may seem strange, and a bit
facetious, for someone born in south Montreal to “do”
country, yet she spent her early years in Cape Breton, Nova
Scotia. And if there’s any place that understands the
solace and loneliness that country can bring out, it’s the
Maritimes of Canada. Without even hearing the album, you
understand that this album isn’t by some fly-by-night faker, but
someone who can truly relate to the soul of country music.

Yet even with the bluegrass and country elements that pervade this
album, Wandering Eyes somehow turns into a wonderful little pop
album. The feeling of desolation perfected by artists such as
Lucinda Williams, who Desveaux cites as an influence, comes along with,
and is often superseded by, an upbeat pop feel. This isn’t
whiskey-stained, tear-soaked sadness; this is more bouncing joy than
anything else. As Desveaux tells it, the work isn’t very
acoustic, as she worked with a full-fledged rock band in the
album’s creation. The result is a playful mix of genres,
and an entertaining and enjoyable collection of songs.

Bloodshot Records:
For our FIRST EVER DVD release, we’ve gathered together a feast
for the senses. There’s 31 videos and live performances (many
recorded at 10 year anniversary parties in Austin and Chicago) from the
likes of Ryan Adams, Old 97s, Detroit Cobras, Alejandro Escovedo, Waco
Brothers, Deadstring Brothers, Bobby Bare Jr, Graham Parker, Wayne
Hancock and many more. There’s 8 short films or documentaries
that range from the tear jerking and insightful to the side splitting
and weird, and delve into subjects as diverse as Ryan Adams on the
road, Chicago honky tonk in the 50’s and 60’s and the venal
snake pit that is the music industry. Features appearances and
performances from Kelly Hogan, Neko Case, Andre Williams, Ryan Adams,
Jon Langford, Sally Timms, Split Lip Rayfield, the Meat Purveyors and
the Sundowners. As if that weren’t enough already, rounding out
this 3 hour plus package are a Photo Gallery featuring longtime
Bloodshot Records shutterbug Frank Swider’s favorite 25 photos
from SXSW and a poster gallery.

Miles of Music:
A collection of singles, one-offs, unreleased tracks, collaborations,
and covers recorded between 1998 and 2005. Variously recorded to
cassette four-track, mini-disc, reel-to-reel tape machine, ADAT and
computer, these songs trace Bright Eyes` evolution from basement
project to band of international repute. Many of these gems previously
lost to out-of-print obscurity are hereby resurrected. Track Listing:
Mirrors And Fevers/I Will Be Grateful For This Day/Trees Get Wheeled
Away/Drunk Kid Catholic/Spent On Rainy Days/The Vanishing Act/Soon You
Will Be Leaving Your Man/Blue Angels Air Show/Weather Reports/Seashell
Tale/Bad Blood/Amy In The White Coat/Devil Town/I`Ve Been Eating (For
You)/Happy Birthday To Me (Feb. 15)/Motion Sickness/Act Of
Contrition/Hungry For A Holiday/When The Curious Girl Realizes She Is
Under Glass Again/Entry Way Song/It`S Cool, We Can Still Be Friends
(Saddle Creek Records)

Hippopress:
Our Scraggly Biker-Folkie Dude Desk is down the hall, but since Grayson
Capps’ CD is an unrotten thing to talk about we may as well.
Getting tossed from New Orleans to Franklin, Tennessee, by
Katrina’s winds has taught Capps to play the disengaged road-hobo
well, going by the sound of the title track, a Johnny Cash clump of
Marlboro Guy roots-folk storytelling, his drawl and pitch signifying
David Lee Roth in a cowgirl-upskirting mood. The guy does everything in
his power to discourage pigeonholing, though, and “Jukebox”
sees Capps morphing into Hank Williams for a spell as he prepares to
blow the levees bulging with his cathartic thoughts on the hurricane,
bringing us to the biggest surprise. “New Orleans Waltz”
isn’t a Kleenex-wrecker at all but a message of love and hope for
his city; Capps squeezes every chicken-fried syllable he can into the
song’s three minutes, a spot of unchained goofing that’s
like an overdue laugh with a close friend. Capps will play at
Milly’s Tavern in Manchester on October 20. C- — Eric W.
Saeger

Miles of Music:
In 1952 renowned musicologist, filmmaker and painter, Harry Smith went
through his vast collection of blues, old-time country, Cajun, and
gospel 78s to compile the groundbreaking Anthology Of American
Folk Music box set, which had a profound influence on musicians such as
Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin and Bruce
Springsteen.Now, The Harry Smith Project: Anthology Of American
Folk Music Revisited, a 2-CD/2-DVD box set culled from a series of
concerts staged by Hal Willner that took place in 1999 and 2001,
pays tribute to Harry Smith and his influential Anthology.
Features Beck, Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, Beth Orton, Lou
Reed, Sonic Youth, Richard Thompson, Wilco and others.

http://www.sdreader.com/
"Americana country rock isn`t for everyone, but this CD belongs in any
truck that has primer-gray fenders, a dog in the back, and duct tape
peeling off the seat." This El Cajon, California band`s
meat-and-potatoes harmony-filled country rock celebrates the blue
collar way. These are small town tales of lovin`, cheatin` and drinkin`
played by guys who have been there. (Dren)

http://www.kamikazehearts.com/quotes.html
Albany's Metroland magazine says, "As the Kamikaze Hearts, these
soulful musicians brew acoustified rock & roll magic that blends
sharp but offbeat songwriting, rootsy instrumentation and quirky
harmonies...(They) have the potential to be big, and we mean that in a
nine-point-review-on-Pitchfork, top-ranking-on-the-College Music
Journal-charts sort of way... the Hearts also seem to easily attract
new fans, including those who aren’t typically drawn to
porch-sitting, mandolin-inflected indie rock. At a recent performance,
the Hearts mesmerized everyone from punk rockers to metalheads with
their addictive melodies, quirky four-part harmonies and the amazing
way that they maintain such a loose, shambling vibe while somehow
keeping it all perfectly together."

Northampton's Valley Advocate writes, "The Kamikaze Hearts nuzzle close
to the indie rock school of Americana revivalism. This book-wormy
foursome compose ailing country ballads and silly barnyard rave-ups
with accompianament from such lovely stringed instruments as the
mandolin, the banjo and the (acoustic bass). They charm effortlessly
and, goddamn it they've got ruach (Hebrew for "spirit"). This is
campfire music for kids with wire-rims and boxes of spent diaries
hiding underneath their beds."

http://www.livedaily.com
Riding the momentum of last year's album, "Nobody's Darlings," and the
bare-boned, band-on-the-road-documentary "Dreaming In America,"
alt-country outfit Lucero is back with possibly their strongest and most consistent listen yet.

Produced by Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven frontman David Lowery in
his Virginia studio, "Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers" finds the
Lucero camp in full-on Rock mode. Imagine the groups past two albums
spun together with a healthy dose of "Darkness on the Edge of Town"-era
Springsteen thrown in for good measure. In a word, the band's
performance here is tight.

Added to the group's usual mix of punked-up Southern rock are further atmospherics--most notable and enjoyable: piano and organ.

Nichols'
lyrics and rough-hewn delivery carry his standard heart-on-his-sleeve
immediacy, plus a little something else. Perhaps age and experience has
deepened the singer in a way that is manifesting itself both outward
and inward. Whatever the case, you can really feel him on this one--high praise for a singer who's never had a hard time emoting in the past.

Neko Case struck a classic pose just
before the music began: head thrown back, her thick red mane like a
curtain around her shoulders, mouth wide open and ready to wail. And
wail she did as she stepped into "Fox Confessor Brings The Flood," the
title song from her triumphant new album.

It
was a pose and voice that probably launched scores of wet dreams later
that night, as Case is indeed the hot crush of the moment for the
alternative country boys (and likely a few of the girls as well) who
packed the joint for her showcase. "Unbelievable!" raved one lad to his
friend later in the set. "Her voice hits places other singers never
reach."

And that voice was indeed at
its most potent yet touching as Case wore her alt-country queen crown
with a regal magnificence. It was also in stark contrast to her last
Austin festival show in 2004, where she rocked hard but frequently sang
flat in front of a massive Austin City Limits fest crowd, much to the
frustration of this listener, who was wishing to be won over. This
time, she fulfilled her promise and more, and did so in a set that of
stately and graceful songs, most of them mid-tempo, atop which her
sexily dusky vocals soared and swooped in full flight.

Miles of Music:
The 2006 release -- their first full length in 7 years -- from West
Virginia`s Rust Kings emphasizes the band`s acoustic playing and
three-part harmonies. Jeanne Hoffman, who joined the band in 2003,
added a soft counter balance to Allen Sizemore`s hearty vocals. The
band`s move to a mountain sound, dropping the drums and `roots-rock` of
their last release, suits this lineup of music veterans. Recorded in a
living room, around a couple of mics, playing off of each other`s
energy with limited overdubs, Hotel West Virginia captures the feeling
of a warm summer night out on the porch, picking with family and
friends. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (Dren)

Canadian filmaker Ron Mann's bio about Renaissance man Ed "Big Daddy"
Roth, who engineered a shift in mid-twentieth century culture with
his customized cars, "monster" T-shirts and America's alternative
rodent - "Rat Fink," features a soundtrack by Yep Roc artists The
Sadies. Yep Roc will release the soundtrack later in 2006.

An accompanying art exhibit, "Rat Fink's Revenge: The Custom Monster
Collection" will feature over 50 customized Rat Fink statues
created by various artists, and some very rare original art pieces
by Ed Roth. The opening will be Friday night March 10,
next to The Continental Club, 1315 South Congress Ave., Austin, Texas.

Miles of Music:
Solomon Burke, an important soul pioneer, continues he late-career
resurgence with an album of country songs. Country songs? His early
work brought in not only soul, but also country, gospel, blues, rock...
you name it Solomon can sing it. His two "comeback" albums `Don`t Give
Up On Me` and `Make Do With What You Got` began to show diminishing
returns by the end of the latter. This time, with the help of producer
Buddy Miller, Burke pairs up magnificently with Dolly Parton, Gillian
Welch, Patty Griffin, Patty Loveless, and Emmylou Harris. Choice songs,
including tracks by Parton, Welch, Griffin, Jim Lauderdale, Buddy &
Julie Miller, and more. Solomon Burke, an important soul pioneer,
continues he late-career resurgence with an album of country songs.
Country songs? His early work brought in not only soul, but also
country, gospel, blues, rock... you name it Solomon can sing it. His
two "comeback" albums `Don`t Give Up On Me` and `Make Do With What You
Got` began to show diminishing returns by the end of the latter. This
time, with the help of producer Buddy Miller, Burke owns these
specially selected songs. He pairs up magnificently with Dolly Parton,
Gillian Welch, Patty Griffin, Patty Loveless, and Emmylou Harris while
effortlessly conquering the solo tracks. Choice songs, including tracks
by Parton, Welch, Griffin, Jim Lauderdale, Buddy & Julie Miller,
and more. Country rarely sounds this soulful. Tracks That`s How I Got
to Memphis / Seems Like You`re Gonna Take Me Back / Tomorrow Is Forever
/ Ain`t Got You / Valley of Tears / Honey Where`s the Money Gone / Atta
Way to Go / Millionaire / Up to the Mountain / Does My Ring Burn Your
Finger / Vicious Circle / We`re Gonna Hold On / You`re the Kind of
Trouble / `Til I Get It Right -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (Shout!
Factory)

Houston Press:
The Texas Sapphires are a wonderful illustration of the differences
between Nashville and Austin. Youngsters following their muses and
dreams flock to both cities in search of kindred spirits. Myriad
ensembles form, shift, disband. Inevitably, though, Nashville winds up
making stars out of a neo-schmaltz pop outfit like Rascal Flatts while
grinding down the likes of Joy Lynn White and Phil Lee. Meanwhile,
Austin has managed to spawn and nurture the Texas Sapphires.

While their style is different, the Sapphires are reminiscent of
another young band that came to Austin looking for something it hadn't
found anywhere else: Asleep at the Wheel. In spite of its terrible
title, the Sapphires' debut album, Valley So Steep, has a sprightly
gumption and a Western spirit that transports listeners forward -- into
the past. The fact that these youngsters can drop a stone-cold
honky-tonker like "Driftin' In" (complete with vintage Don Helms
cry-baby steel) while avoiding the swerve into shtick speaks volumes
about their musical comprehension. Throughout the disc, the Sapphires
manage to tip their youthful hats to the sacred ancient texts of
prophets Wills, Williams and Parsons while capturing something new and
exciting that manages to be both entirely theirs and completely pop. If
honky-tonk has a future, hopefully it will sound a lot like "Driftin'
In" or "Bring Out the Bible (We Ain't Got a Prayer)."

Miles of Music:
TRAMPS & THIEVES - Arizona`s Tramps & Thieves` mix of rock,
country, folk, and rich harmonies is best described as "scruffy" in the
most complimentary of ways. This 16 track CD moves the band into more
rock terrain since their 2004 EP. Topics like war, outlaws, and the
desert favorite, hallucinogenic are fueled by the band`s aggressive
riffing and seemingly endless energy. In an era where the art of loud
guitar playing has been co-opted by "punk rock" it is a pleasure to
hear a sloppy, extended, but not jammy and self-indulgent lead.
Spittin` Into The Wind seamlessly mixes the college-rock sound, with
country without dipping sound into the "polite" sound that flaws so
many "Americana" releases. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (self-released)

countrymusic.about.com;
When it comes to a pure Texas swing sound, there's few who do it as
well as Wayne "the Train" Hancock. Now, I'm not sure how Wayne comes by
his nickname, but I'd venture a guess that it has to do with that
"lonesome whistle" sound of his voice, which is as honest and real as
they make 'em, solidly uncompromisingly traditional and wholly and
completely modern in approach, theme, and style. His swing is
punctuated by thumping doghouse bass (played by Chris Darrell) and
whining steel (Eddie Rivers), all working together to make a disc
that's a long way from "retro." The approach is traditional, the sound
is real, this is the proof you don't have to be synthesized pop, you
don't have to Pro Tools to the ends of the earth, you don't have to
dance on tables. Just make good music, and folks will listen to it.
They don't call Hancock the King of Juke Joint Swing for nothin'.
Hancock asks for nothing but appreciation for his band, and these guys
can play. In addition to Darrell and Rivers, Hancock is backed by Eddie
Biebel, Paul Skelton, and Dave Biller on lead guitars, Bob Stafford on
trombone, and John Doyle on clarinet (you read it right, no drums at
all), produced by the legendary Lloyd Maines.

Bloodshot Records:
Wayne’s latest effort, Tulsa--his third for Bloodshot Records and
first studio record since 2001--is a testament to the version of
America he loves; one decorated with lonesome desert highways, cheap
hotels, dancehalls, and lost loves along the way. Wayne Hancock
personifies the two great American inventions of jazz and country and
creates his own style of uncompromising western swing; as much Gershwin
as Hank; equal parts Art Blakley and Bob Wills.